Madame Bovary- 4 Themes

1- Mechanisms of middle-class society (not quite sure what this means but I'll give it a shot)
The novel portrays the workings of the middle-class in an array of fashions. There are extremes and normalities, but all fall within a similar social status. In the novel itself, very few characters are either very poor or very rich. For most of these bourgeois, they are motivated by their desires: Emma's romanticism, Lheureux's sinister power, Homais' bid for recognition, and others. The search for these desires seems to make up most of the interaction bewteen membors of this caste. Flaubert seems to be of the opinion that most of these motivations are flawed in some manner, leading to criticisms of the bourgeois lifestyle.
2- Fatality of the bourgeois
I think Emma's death of arsenic poisoning is representative of bourgeois fatality as a whole: a slow, painful, decaying death. Rather than a romantic "blaze of glory", this is a more realistic, and apt, ending to a downward spiral.
3- Reality vs. illusion
Flaubert suggests through his characters that a balance is necessary. An extreme of one (Emma) or an extreme of the other (Charles) lead to either mediocrity or despair and depression. Emma is so romanticized that anything she does will lead to eventual disappointment. Charles, on the other hand, simply lives in the reality and is therefore an incredibly boring, mediocre person. Flaubert seems to suggest that a balance of self-awareness and desire would lead to a more fulfilling, motivated, and successful life.
4- Is Emma a victim?
She is a victim in several ways. First, she is a victim of her own failings. Her romantic ideals and desires cause her downfall and death. However, the second possibility lies in her surroundings and culture that caused these failings. She loved to read, but would the majority of texts in those days were romantic. Coupled with her poor social standing, these ideas grew on her to the point where she thought of nothing else. So in this way, Emma is a victim of her time and culture, as were many women of that era.

Favorite Texts and Why

I couldn't decide on just one, so here are three of my favorite texts and why I enjoyed them.

1- The First Circle, by Alexander Solzhenitsyn.
This book is an incredibly complex, vivid portrayal of the politics and inner workings of the upper echelons in a Soviet prison camp. Based on others' experiences in such a camp (another one of his novels is more directly based off his experiences), it is a fascinating but intensely human recreation. It was the first text of its kind that I had read, and it remains my favorite example of Russian literature to date.
2- A Farewell To Arms, by Ernest Hemingway.
I read this book fairly recently, after reading several other novels written by Hemingway, and this novel really hit home. Hemingway's writing is beautiful in its simplicity, and the combination of romantic dreams grounded in realism really works. While many people might not consider it his finest work, I thouroughly enjoyed reading it.
3- The Lord of the Rings, by J. R. R. Tolkien.
I'll admit it, I'm a sucker for sci-fi/fantasy. But what I loved the most about this series was the depth to the world around it. I don't think any author has ever put so much time anf effort into creating such an elaborate world. It is astonishingly well written (Tolkien majored in language) and is fun to read.
On a side note, the languages of his world were what I found to be the most fascinating singular aspect. He actually developed several full languages just for this series, and since I really enjoy learning languages, it definately tuned me in to the series.